F. Niveles de iluminación
1. Niveles de iluminación en el piso
Although it may seem that Sino-Saudi relations are mainly influenced by the search for long term energy cooperation, there are other influences as well. The major dimensions that shape the two countries’
foreign policy towards each other have been identified as ideological, political, economic, and strategic.
236 Ahmad and Ramana, “Too Costly to Matter,” 682. 237 Ahmad and Ramana, 683.
238 Mo, “China’s Oil Supply Strategy,” 189.
239 Ismail, Sino-Saudi Relations: Relevance for United States Security and Economic Relations with Saudi Arabia, 123. 240 Kéchichian, “Saudi Arabia and China.”
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4.5.1 Ideological Dimension
In Saudi Arabia, there has been a decrease in the influence of religio-political thought in the decision- making process of foreign policy in the past few decades. This is partly because the Saudi monarchy recognized the need to limit the influence of religion on their policymaking process in order to thrive as a major player on the global level.242 On the other hand, Saudi Arabia needs to preserve its monarchy as this
secures their stability as a nation. The stability of their monarchy, however, is primarily based upon the support of the Wahhabi clergy. The perceived Iranian threat is used as another tool by the Saudi monarchy to unite the country and strengthen the rulers’ position. In order to both preserve their status as a major player on the global level and their internal stability, the Saudi government has to balance modernizing their economy while preserving their traditional values.
Although religious and ideological aspects still play a role in the internal stability and the protection of the
monarchy’s position, these elements do not obstruct the establishment of ties with countries that have conflicting ideas about religion. Establishing ties with an atheistic China that had already shed its ideological feathers at the beginning of Sino-Saudi relations was therefore not a problem for Saudi Arabia.
China’s foreign policy in the Middle East is guided by a pragmatic strategy that is aimed at economics and energy security and offsets ideological differences.
4.5.2 Political Dimension
Both China and Saudi Arabia believe that closer Sino-Saudi political relations will create a positive spill- over to their economic relations. For China, improving energy security will be the goal of improved political relations. Saudi Arabia will see a secured market for it oil exports as the preferred outcome from closer political relations.243 Although Saudi Arabia’s oil reserve has a significant influence on its policymaking
process and gives the country the power to singlehandedly influence the global oil market, Saudi Arabia claims that it has not used oil as a political tool since the oil embargo in 1973.244 Its location at the center
of a political unstable region and in close range of its regional rival further affects important economic policies, such as government spending decisions, that have an effect on Sino-Saudi relations.245 This is
highlighted by recent events during the Arab spring in 2011 that have put an emphasis on the survival of the Saudi monarchy and internal stability. For China, the improvement of diplomatic and political relations with oil exporting countries in the Middle East and in particular with Saudi Arabia, has been at the forefront
242 Chauvin, “The Rise of the Gulf,” 48.
243 al-Tamimi, “China-Saudi Arabia Relations,” 5. 244 Fattouh and Sen, Saudi Arabia Oil Policy, 10. 245 Fattouh and Sen, 9.
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of its foreign policy in the Middle East. Close political ties are thus a means to accomplish China’s primary
foreign policy goal: energy security.
4.5.3 Economic Dimension
Even before China and Saudi Arabia had diplomatic relations, bilateral trade increased substantially during the 1970s.246 After China and Saudi Arabia set up diplomatic relations, bilateral trade continued to
increase. The Saudi economy continued to grow during the past few decades and is by far the largest in the Middle East.247 A critical issue in Saudi Arabia has been the diversification of its economy, consequently
their non-oil activities have seen an enormous increase over the years. However, in 2015, the export of oil still made up 65% of Saudi Arabia total exports, illustrating Saudi Arabia’s dependency on oil revenues.248
China’s economic policies towards Saudi Arabia saw a substantial change in 1993 when the country became a net oil importer. Beside the importance of Saudi Arabia and the other GCC countries as consumer markets for Chinese goods, the GCC countries now played a vital role in China’s energy security strategy. To put this in perspective, Saudi Arabia exported 18% of its crude oil to China in 2015, making it the third largest market for Saudi crude oil. For China, Saudi crude oil covers 15% of its total crude oil import during the same year.249 This shows that both countries are not solely dependent on each other in the oil trade
and have acquired a substantial level of diversification. Nonetheless, when looking at the long-term energy trade, both countries become of greater importance to each other; Saudi Arabia is searching for a long- term partner that guarantees to purchase Saudi crude oil for many years to come. China on the other hand is devoting much of its attention to the development of longstanding relations with reliable oil suppliers that will secure the much-needed supply of energy for the growing Chinese economy. This explains why the economic dimension of Sino-Saudi relations in the long-term will be of greater importance than current data about bilateral energy trade would suggest.
4.5.4 Strategic Dimension
After decades of cautious Chinese initiatives towards rapprochement, Saudi Arabia recognized the greater advantages of establishing relations with China in comparison with the strategic significance of Taiwan.250
Furthermore, after 2001, Saudi Arabia became aware of the need to develop diversified oil strategies as
246 Binhuwaidin, “China’s Foreign Policy Towards the Gulf,” 162. 247 Chauvin, “The Rise of the Gulf,” 44.
248 OEC, “OEC - Saudi Arabia (SAU) Exports, Imports, and Trade Partners.” 249 OEC.
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their relations with the US decreased. With the continuous growth of Asian economies, one of their strategies was the development of close ties with China. 251Beside the importance of China’s economic
value to Saudi Arabia, it could also curtail the threat of its regional rival Iran and secure the stability in the Middle East. However, Saudi Arabia is aware that China is not yet able, or even willing, to completely replace the influence of the US military in the Middle East as the primary policing power.
China’s motivation to develop closer ties to Saudi Arabia is also heavily influenced by strategic incentives. Saudi Arabia’s power among GCC countries and its great oil reserves have been an important element of
China’s decision to pursue the development of Sino-Saudi relations. As energy security is one of the major
pillars of China’s continuously growing economy, an energy shortage is one of the biggest threats for the country.252 China’s foreign policy is therefore centered around the strengthening of relations with oil
exporting countries, in particular in the Middle East. The intensified diplomatic and strategic Chinese approach in the Middle East has thus far resulted in growing economic and political ties.253
The Sino-Saudi relations have intensified over the past decade, producing economic benefits and future energy security for both countries. The increase in economic relations between the two countries,
combined with the proximity of Saudi Arabia’s regional rival Iran and the geostrategic value of the Gulf,
have made sure that the strategic factor of Saudi Arabia to China continues to develop.254
251 Mo, “Saudi Arabia’s ‘Looking East’ Initiatives and Its Impact,” 85.
252 Aarts, Rijsingen, and others, “Beijing’s Rising Star in the Gulf Region,” 27. 253 Aarts, Rijsingen, and others, 30.
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